History of Major Lazer in Timeline
Major Lazer is an electronic dance music trio formed in 2008 in Kingston, Jamaica. The group consists of Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Ape Drums. Originally a duo with Switch, who left in 2011, the lineup has evolved over time. Their music blends diverse genres like reggae, dancehall, reggaeton, soca, house, and moombahton.
2008: Major Lazer Founded
Major Lazer, the Jamaican-American electronic dance music and DJ trio was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch.
June 2009: The Fader Cover Feature
Major Lazer was featured on the cover of The Fader magazine's 62nd issue, signifying their growing presence in the music industry.
June 16, 2009: Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do Album Release
Major Lazer's debut album, "Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do" was released on June 16, 2009, marking their entrance into the music scene.
December 30, 2009: Falls Music & Arts Festival Performance
On December 30, 2009, Major Lazer performed at the Falls Music & Arts Festival in Lorne, Victoria, Australia.
2009: Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do Album Release
Major Lazer released their Debut album, "Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do" in 2009.
April 2010: Coachella Music Festival Performance
Major Lazer performed at the renowned Coachella Music Festival in April 2010.
June 20, 2010: Lazers Never Die EP Release
Major Lazer released their EP "Lazers Never Die" on June 20, 2010, expanding their discography.
July 2010: Pitchfork Music Festival Performance
Major Lazer took the stage at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July 2010
May 30, 2011: Sasquatch Music Festival Performance
Major Lazer performed at the Sasquatch Music Festival on May 30, 2011.
June 2011: Collaboration with Hot Chip
Major Lazer collaborated with the band Hot Chip on the track "Look at Where We Are," released on the extended version of Hot Chip's album "In Our Heads."
2011: Jillionaire and Walshy Fire Join Major Lazer
Jillionaire and Walshy Fire joined Major Lazer in 2011, replacing founding member Switch.
2011: Switch departs from Major Lazer
Switch departed from the group, Major Lazer, in 2011.
August 2012: Collaboration with No Doubt
In August 2012, Major Lazer collaborated with No Doubt on their sixth studio album, "Push and Shove," contributing to the album's title track.
September 2012: Free the Universe Album and Fall Tour Announcement
Major Lazer announced their upcoming album, "Free the Universe," and an accompanying fall tour in September 2012.
February 2013: Signing with Secretly Canadian and Free the Universe Release Date
Major Lazer signed with the independent record label Secretly Canadian in February 2013, announcing a new release date for their album "Free the Universe." They also revealed their "Free the Universe" 2013 World Tour.
March 12, 2013: Free the Universe Album Release Date Announcement
On March 12, 2013, Major Lazer announced the release of their album "Free the Universe."
2013: Free the Universe Album Release
Major Lazer's second studio album, "Free the Universe" was released in 2013.
March 2014: Apocalypse Soon EP Release
Major Lazer released their Apocalypse Soon EP in March 2014, featuring notable artists including Pharrell Williams and Sean Paul.
February 8, 2015: Peace Is the Mission Album Details Revealed
During the Grammy Awards ceremony on February 8, 2015, Diplo, a member of Major Lazer, announced details of their third studio album, "Peace Is the Mission."
March 2, 2015: "Lean On" Single Release
Major Lazer released their single "Lean On," featuring DJ Snake and MØ, on March 2, 2015. The song received global recognition, achieving commercial success and critical acclaim.
March 23, 2015: "Roll the Bass" Single Release
Major Lazer released the promotional single, "Roll the Bass", on March 23, 2015.
April 16, 2015: Major Lazer Animated Series Premieres
A Major Lazer animated series, co-created and executive produced by Diplo, debuted on FXX on April 16, 2015.
April 20, 2015: "Night Riders" Single Release
Major Lazer released "Night Riders," featuring Travis Scott, 2 Chainz, Pusha T, and Mad Cobra, on April 20, 2015.
April 27, 2015: Collaboration with Selah Sue Announced
Diplo revealed Major Lazer was working with Selah Sue on April 27, 2015, hinting at its inclusion on their upcoming album.
May 4, 2015: Collaboration with Selah Sue Confirmed
On May 4, 2015, Selah Sue confirmed her collaboration with Major Lazer.
May 11, 2015: "Too Original" Single Release
Major Lazer released their single "Too Original," a collaboration with Elliphant and Jovi Rockwell, on May 11, 2015.
May 2015: "Music Is the Weapon" Album Announced
The title of Major Lazer's fourth album, "Music Is the Weapon," was announced in May 2015, with promises of a more club and festival-oriented sound compared to "Peace is the Mission."
May 22, 2015: Music Is the Weapon Album Title Reveal
Walshy Fire announced the title of Major Lazer's fourth studio album, "Music Is the Weapon," in an interview on May 22, 2015.
June 1, 2015: Peace Is The Mission Released
On June 1, 2015, Major Lazer released their third studio album, "Peace Is The Mission," featuring collaborations with artists such as Machel Montano, Wild Belle, Pusha T, Ellie Goulding, and Ariana Grande.
June 2, 2015: "Be Together" Lyric Video Release
Major Lazer released a lyric video for their song "Be Together," featuring Wild Belle, on June 2, 2015.
June 21, 2015: "Powerful" Single Release
Major Lazer's single "Powerful," featuring Ellie Goulding and Tarrus Riley, was released on June 21, 2015, and added to BBC Radio 1's playlist.
November 5, 2015: Featured on Katy B's "Who Am I"
On November 5, 2015, Major Lazer was featured on Katy B's single "Who Am I" alongside Craig David.
November 27, 2015: Peace Is the Mission: Extended Released
Major Lazer released "Peace is the Mission: Extended," a re-issue of their third studio album, on November 27, 2015, featuring five additional tracks, including collaborations with MOTi, Ty Dolla $ign, Wizkid, Kranium, Nyla, Fuse ODG, and MØ.
2015: Peace Is the Mission: Remixes and Shazam Success
In 2015, Major Lazer released "Peace Is the Mission: Remixes," a remix album featuring tracks from their third studio album. Notably, Major Lazer garnered over 27 million tags on Shazam in 2015, making Diplo's collaborations (including Jack Ü) the most Shazamed that year.
2015: Peace Is the Mission Album Release
Major Lazer released their third studio album, "Peace Is the Mission" in 2015.
July 22, 2016: "Cold Water" Released
On July 22, 2016, Major Lazer dropped the single "Cold Water," featuring vocals from MØ and Justin Bieber, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and claimed the top spot in several other countries.
September 30, 2016: "Believer" Released
Major Lazer released "Believer," a collaboration with Dutch production duo Showtek, on September 30, 2016, as the second single from their upcoming fourth album, "Music Is the Weapon."
December 6, 2016: "My Number" Released
Major Lazer dropped the promotional single "My Number" on December 6, 2016, a collaboration with Bad Royale that sampled Toots and the Maytals' "54-46 That's My Number," featuring newly recorded vocals from Toots Hibbert.
2016: Music Is the Weapon Album Delay
Although initially planned for a late 2015 or early 2016 release, Major Lazer's album "Music Is the Weapon" faced delays and did not arrive within that timeframe.
January 26, 2017: "Run Up" Released
On January 26, 2017, Major Lazer released "Run Up," featuring PartyNextDoor and Nicki Minaj, as the third single from their highly anticipated album, "Music Is the Weapon."
June 1, 2017: "Know No Better" EP Released
Major Lazer released "Know No Better," a six-song EP featuring collaborations with Camila Cabello, Travis Scott, Quavo, Anitta, and Pabllo Vittar, on June 1, 2017.
2017: Know No Better EP Release
Major Lazer released "Know No Better", their sixth EP, in 2017.
March 2018: Billboard Dance 100 Ranking
Major Lazer was recognized for their influence on dance music, securing the fifth position on Billboard's prestigious Dance 100 ranking in March 2018.
October 17, 2018: "Blow That Smoke" Released
Major Lazer dropped "Blow That Smoke," featuring Tove Lo, on October 17, 2018, as part of their 10-year anniversary compilation album "Major Lazer Essentials."
October 19, 2018: "Major Lazer Essentials" Released
Celebrating their 10-year anniversary, Major Lazer released the compilation album "Major Lazer Essentials" on October 19, 2018, featuring their greatest hits and new tracks like "Blow That Smoke" with Tove Lo.
2018: Diplo Confirms "Music Is the Weapon"
Despite rumors of no album release, Diplo confirmed in 2018 that "Music Is the Weapon" would be released in 2019 and would be their final album.
March 20, 2019: "Africa Is the Future" EP Released
Major Lazer released the EP "Africa Is the Future" on March 20, 2019.
May 10, 2019: "Can't Take It from Me" Released
Major Lazer released "Can't Take It from Me," featuring Skip Marley, on May 10, 2019, as the lead single from their upcoming album "Music Is the Weapon."
June 2019: Ape Drums Joins Major Lazer
In June 2019, Ape Drums replaced Jillionaire as a member of the electronic music group, Major Lazer.
June 2019: Jillionaire Leaves, Ape Drums Joins
Jillionaire departed from Major Lazer in June 2019 to pursue solo projects, paving the way for American DJ and record producer Ape Drums to join the group.
September 11, 2019: "Que Calor" Released
On September 11, 2019, Major Lazer dropped "Que Calor," a collaboration with J Balvin and El Alfa, as the second single from their forthcoming album.
2019: Diplo Announces "Music Is the Weapon" as Final Album
Diplo, in 2019, reaffirmed that "Music Is the Weapon" would be released that year and would mark the end of Major Lazer.
2019: "Lazerism" to "Music Is the Weapon"
In 2019, Diplo revealed "Lazerism" as the initial title for their upcoming album, but it was later reverted to the original title, "Music Is the Weapon."
March 26, 2020: "Lay Your Head on Me" Released
Major Lazer released "Lay Your Head on Me," featuring Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons, on March 26, 2020, as the fifth single from their long-awaited album.
October 23, 2020: "Music Is the Weapon" Released
After much anticipation, Major Lazer's fourth studio album, "Music Is the Weapon," was released on October 23, 2020.
2020: Music Is the Weapon Album Release
Major Lazer's fourth studio album, "Music Is the Weapon" was released in 2020.
